Q&A with Q-Burns Abstract Message

You probably know who Q-Burns is and I am almost certain if you don’t, you’ve probably heard a track or two of his over the years. What you may not know though, is he runs one of the best and our personal favourite Promo Service, 8DPromo. In their own words and in our experience they “Provide Effective Tastemaker Promotions For Underground Dance Music Labels”. If you are looking for a promo service actually worth your money, this is the one we recommend. With that in mind, lets get down the Q&A and find out a bit more about the man behind the service.

I’ve been capturing my own music since I saved up some money, by mowing neighbors’ lawns, and bought a Juno-106 and a Tascam four track recorder. I’ll leave you to guess how old I was … it was in the mid-eighties.

Q. What DAW do you use to Produce?

Logic Pro, pretty much. I started using Logic pre-Apple, around 2000, and haven’t looked back.

Q. Must have piece of production software or equipment?

They can laugh, but I stand by my Alesis Monitor Ones with matching RA-100 amplifier. It’s the only consistent piece of equipment I’ve had for nearly 20 years (though I’ve gone through a couple sets). I know exactly how tracks are going to sound when mixed through those.

On the software side, I’m a huge fan of the Togu Audio Line soft-synths and effects, both the free and paid versions. I pretty much just use those most of the time.

It’s a bit of a cop-out, but I don’t really think in terms of genre and I kind of think my production work reflects this. I listen to so much stuff, and I come from a confused background of a punk rock kid who loved synthesizers and lived in central Louisiana. That said, my ‘leisure time’ listening habits do tend towards dreamy, shoegazey type sounds, as well as Krautrock and heavy African music.

Holy cats, producing music. Though I do enjoy helping others out in this little music community that’s sort of orbiting around me.

Q. How long have you been running 8DPromo and what made you decide to start it up?

8DPromo started in 2008. Basically, when the recession hit and the regular flow of DJ gigs dried up I had to find another way to make a living. As I started working with record labels and doing promotion in 1994, I had a bit of experience (and quite the database) in that field. It seemed natural for me to piece together 8DPromo and apply what I learned to other labels, and to assist them in this ever-changing promotional climate.

Q. Favorite Social Media site for spreading the word about music?

Twitter, by far. It’s got the least amount of bullshit (both from the company and its users) and is the most fun, in my opinion. I post and share on there far more than anywhere else and refer to it as my ‘preferred mode of transportation.’ Check me out: http://www.twitter.com/qburns

I’ve also started a repository of music industry related articles and information on Pinterest … it’s mainly for my own reference, but I thought making it a public place would be useful to others. Here: http://www.pinterest.com/8DIndustries

Q. Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla ice cream?

Vanilla, I guess. I don’t have a sweet tooth. I’m more of a nacho chips + salsa kind of guy.

Q. What do you get up to outside of music?

I’m extremely fond of watching inscrutable art films as well as movies made in Japan over 40 years ago about samurai warriors.